Home is Where The Heart Is
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles reflects on the changes that come with parenthood as he takes care of his one-month-old son. Spoilers for "Goodnight, Seattle."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**I don't own these characters, so please don't sue. :) Many thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) and Sydney (Sydney3) for reading drafts of this. Also thanks to Andrea (iloveromance) for suggesting this idea to me, and for writing "Table for One," which kind of inspired this, too. Please don't forget to review! More chapters will be posted soon.

Niles and Daphne sat in their living room, admiring their newborn son as he slept in his crib. Though they had been parents for almost a month now, they still had trouble believing David was actually theirs. "I miss Frasier," Niles said, breaking the silence.

Daphne smiled at him sympathetically. "I know you do," she replied, kissing him. "But he said he'd fly back as often as he can to see the baby." She remembered how surprised she and the rest of the family had been when Frasier called from Chicago, rather than San Francisco. "Once he and Charlotte get settled in, I'm sure they'll come for a visit. You know Frasier can't wait to see how big his nephew has gotten!"

"He is remarkable, isn't he?" Niles asked. "Just like his mommy." He kissed Daphne on the cheek.

"Oh, Niles," Daphne replied, slightly embarrassed.

"It's true. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you, but little David here has proven me wrong."

Daphne sighed contentedly. "I'll never know what I did to deserve you."

"Oh, my love, if anyone should be wondering about that, it's me." Niles put his arm around his wife.

After a few moments of blissful silence, Daphne asked, "Are you sure you don't mind me going out with Roz tonight?"

"Not at all," Niles replied. "I know you two haven't seen much of each other lately, with the baby, and her taking over KACL."

"That's true," Daphne admitted. "Thank goodness Alice has a slumber party tonight. Roz told me she's dying for a little 'girl time' after dealing with everything at the station these past few weeks."

Niles chuckled. Knowing Roz, the constant responsibility that came with being in charge must be a difficult adjustment for her. "I'm sure you two will have fun catching up," he said. "But David and I will be miserable here without you."

"Oh, Niles," Daphne said. "There you go again, being overly dramatic. I'm only going to be gone for a few hours." Niles looked at his wife in a way that reminded her of Eddie, whenever he was begging for a dog treat. Daphne smiled and kissed him. "Have I told you lately how adorable you are when you're like this?" she asked.

"Yes," Niles admitted. "But it's nice to be reminded." He kissed Daphne one more time. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Daphne opened the door to find Roz standing there, just as she'd expected. They immediately hugged. "So where is this baby of yours?" Roz exclaimed the moment she and Daphne had let go. She walked over to where his crib stood in front of the sofa. "Oh, he's adorable!"

"Thanks," Daphne replied proudly. "I think he looks just like Niles, but he says the same about me."

"Well, in my case, I was glad nobody ever said Alice looked like Rick's family!" Roz laughed, remembering the first time she met Rick's parents. She had been terrified her baby would inherit their abnormally large noses. Now, she could look back at the experience and laugh, but it hadn't seemed funny at the time.

"I think Alice has turned out quite well," Daphne replied. "Just think, in a few years, she'll be a teenager."

"Oh, please, don't remind me!" Roz said with a laugh. "She's already coming home from school and telling me which boys in her class are cute."

Daphne laughed, amazed that she and Roz had gone for so long without seeing each other. Well, this was their chance to make up for lost time. "Shall we go?" she asked.

Roz nodded, finally tearing her attention away from the crib. "Yeah, we should, if we want to get to the mall before it gets too crowded."

Daphne turned to her husband. "Are you sure you're OK with this? Because, if not, we could just stop off at your father's on the way..."

"Daphne, please, I'm a doctor. I'm sure I can handle taking care of my own son for a few hours," Niles said. "Dad and Ronee are newlyweds, they deserve a little time to themselves."

"All right," Daphne replied, kissing him once again. "I'll have me cellphone on if you need anything. Or else you can always call Ronee. She's the expert babysitter in the family!"

Niles chuckled. "I'll be fine. You two go and have fun."

After Roz and Daphne had said their goodbyes to Niles and David, they finally left for their girls' night out. Niles nervously watched his sleeping son, wondering if this would really be as easy as he'd said it would be.


	2. Chapter 2

A moment after the car had pulled away, David woke up and began to fuss. Niles immediately reached down and picked his son up. "You miss Mommy, don't you?" he asked, kissing his cheek. Intellectually, he knew that a one-month old would likely have no idea Daphne was even gone. But it was comforting to think he wasn't the only one who never felt quite right when Daphne wasn't around.

Since Daphne stayed home with David most of the time, Niles had rarely spent much time alone with his new son. Just looking at the baby made Niles think of the long and difficult path that had led to him and Daphne becoming a couple. There were things Niles would always regret, such as his previous marriages, but he could never be anything but grateful for the way things had worked out. He glanced at the photographs that hung on the wall. Instantly he was flooded with memories. That made him think again of Frasier, and how much he missed his older brother. Still carrying his son, Niles walked over to the phone and pressed a button.

Immediately, Frasier's familiar voice filled the room. The message was two days old now, but Niles felt a need to hear it one more time. _"It's Frasier. Just wanted to see how you're doing. Chicago's great. I haven't found a coffeshop as good as Nervosa, though! Charlotte's been helping me pick out furniture for my new office. I'll email you the pictures as soon as I can. Give my favorite nephew a hug for me!" _

The recording ended. Somehow it made Niles feel even lonelier, despite David's prescence. "That was Uncle Frasier," Niles explained to his son. "I have a feeling he and Grandpa are going to be spoiling you rotten." Already Martin and Ronee had given David more toys than he could possibly need, and Frasier was no doubt doing the same, in preparation for his next visit. Since he had given up his opportunity in San Francisco, Frasier had decided to go back into private practice. Not only did it mean giving up the many headaches that came with being in the public eye, but it also offered a much more flexible schedule. For once in his life, Frasier was putting something else ahead of his career.

Niles sat back down on the couch with his son. "Let's see, what should we do now?" he asked. He and Daphne had been talking to David as much as possible, in hopes of strengthening his verbal skills. When Niles first suggested the idea, Daphne thought it was ridiculous. But once she realized that David seemed to like the sound of her voice, she decided that it might not be so crazy after all. Niles was very eager for his son to start talking, so he could see if any of the Crane genes had been passed down. Daphne had repeatedly urged her husband not to put pressure on David. He could end up being a genius, but he could just as easily end up a Moon through and through. It didn't matter to Daphne one way or the other. Niles tried to convince himself it didn't matter to him, either. But deep down, he knew it did. "I wish you could talk," Niles said with a sigh. David's only response was to stare blankly at his father. "I know, I know," Niles said. "I should be patient, just like your Mommy says. But still..."

Suddenly, David's little hand reached out and grabbed Niles' nose, causing him to laugh. "Oh, so you want to play, huh?" he asked. "I guess you're a bit young for chess right now," he said, eyeing the chess set Frasier had given him just before he left Seattle. Niles could hardly wait for the day he would teach his son the game he and Frasier had spent so many hours playing while they were growing up. He knew that day would come eventually, but what about right now?

Niles remembered something he'd seen Daphne do to entertain David. He propped his son up on the couch and walked over to the crib. After retrieving a blanket, he sat back down and put David on his lap. He began to play Peek-a-Boo, hiding his face behind the blanket, and then magically "reappearing." At first, Niles felt a bit uncomfortable about doing it, but the more David seemed to be enjoying the game, the more Niles began to loosen up. And, gradually, Niles realized that he was actually enjoying it, too. Not so long ago, Niles' life had revolved around his patients, his wine club, and his operas. Now he and Daphne had a family. He had known that having a baby would change things, but he hadn't been prepared for a change this big. He used to love to spend hours reading up on case histories, or reliving a major breakthrough with a patient. But lately, when he was at work, he found himself just counting the hours till he could get home to his wife and son. Niles thought again of Frasier, and how he'd lived 3,000 miles away from Fredick. It made Niles sad to think of what he must have missed out on. At least David would never go through that. Nothing in the world would ever separate Niles from the people he loved most.


	3. Chapter 3

Niles' drifting thoughts were suddenly brought back to reality by the ringing phone. The caller ID showed Daphne's cellphone number. "Hello, my love," Niles said as he answered the call.

"I was just calling to see how you two are doing," Daphne said. "I hope you're not still trying to make him talk. He's only a month old!"

Niles laughed. "Actually, I'm not. You just interrupted a very important game of Peek-a-Boo. I think David's a natural. I can see the Crane genes in there already!"

"Don't be too sure," Daphne replied. "For all we know, you could be holding another little Simon!"

"Too bad your psychic powers couldn't give us a clue about his personality." While Niles spoke, he began to tickle David's stomach, causing him to laugh.

Daphne heard the sound and immediately smiled. "What's happening?" she asked, suddenly wishing she were at home instead of out with Roz. Even though she was enjoying being out of the house for once, she was amazed at how much she missed her son.

"Well, it seems that someone here is very ticklish," Niles replied, as he once again tickled his son.

"Oh, I wish I could be home with you!" Daphne exclaimed.

"I know you do, my love," Niles replied. He and Daphne never got tired of that pet name. It always reminded them both of the night on Frasier's roof, when Niles had first used it.

"I think Roz is getting a bit impatient with me," Daphne said, noticing the glare she was now gettting from her friend. "We still have some more shopping to do, but I'll be home as soon as I can!"

"We'll be here waiting for you," Niles replied.

He and Daphne said their goodbyes and hung up. He let out a sigh and turned to David. "I think Mommy misses us," he said. Suddenly, David began to wail. "Oh, don't cry, she'll be home soon!" Niles wondered what could have caused this sudden outburst. As soon as he picked his son up and felt his diaper, Niles knew he'd found his answer. _This should be interesting_, he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Niles carried his son upstairs to the nursery. He and Daphne had decorated this room very carefully. They had had trouble deciding on a theme. Martin had wanted his new grandson's room to be decorated with the Mariners logo. While Niles heard the suggestion, he proclaimed that he would not have his son sleeping in a shrine to a bunch of overpaid football players. For reasons Niles could never understand, his father had found his comment extremely humorous. Frasier had a lot of suggestions, but Niles and Daphne hadn't liked any of them. In the end, Daphne suggested Winnie the Pooh for a nursery theme, and Niles loved the idea immediately. The images of Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore now graced the walls of the room. The bright colors might seem out of place in a building like the Montana, but Niles didn't care. He wouldn't want this room any other way.

Niles laid David down on the changing table, right below a life-size portrait of Pooh. Because he worked all day, and also because of his natural squeamishness, Niles had so far mostly avoided this particular aspect of parenthood. But Daphne and Ronee had given him a crash course just before David was born in case he ever needed it. Now he was glad he'd paid attention. In order to distract himself from what he was doing, Niles began talking to David. "You know," he said. "You weren't the first baby I've ever seen be born. Well, there was that one time in med school. I don't remember that very well. I hit the floor as soon as I saw the head coming out. But then there was the time your Uncle Frasier, your Grandpa and I helped deliver a lady's baby right in her cab!" David grinned up at his father, obvlious to what Niles happened to be doing. "I knew right then that I wanted to be a father someday. I had no idea it would take almost another ten years before it happened." Niles sighed, remembering. Those years had been difficult, chasing after Daphne and almost losing her to another man. But now, here they were, starting a family, and happier than they'd ever believed possible.

Once David was all cleaned up, and Niles had washed his hands thoroughly, they went back downstairs. Niles was just about to find a book to read to his son when he heard a key in the door. He was surprised to see Daphne walk in, carrying a few shopping bags from the mall.

"What are you doing home?" Niles asked, carrying David over to her.

"I decided I've done enough shopping for now. I'd much rather be here with you two," Daphne said as she kissed her husband and took David from his arms.

Niles felt his heart swell, just watching his wife and son together. It was abundantly clear from her expression that she did not regret giving up her evening with Roz in the slightest. As he watched Daphne and David bond, he glanced at a picture of himself and Frasier that hung on the wall. He felt the familiar twinge of sadness that came whenever he thought of his older brother. The void Frasier's abscence had left was still there, still just as real as ever. But as long as he still had Daphne and David, everything he needed was right here.

**The End**


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